There is an old Joni Mitchell song that goes "They paved paradise and put in a parking lot". For the nineteen years we lived in the suburbs we will attest to that truth as being central in our desire to leave the suburbs and move back to the country. We watched the approaching changes get closer and closer, taking out the woods and creeks and putting in roads and houses. I understand perfectly, people need homes to live in and as the town grows, more land must be developed and houses must be built.
Now we reside in the country, loving the deep woods, open fields, and picturesque ridges. We own 34 acres where our home sits, and 3.5 acres across the street where our guest house is located. Since we moved here three years ago we could compose our own song that goes something like this..."The trees grew big and they called in the timber men...". So many areas around us have been timbered, and we were even contacted about having our trees timbered too.
Just the incessant noise of the large machines that take down one hundred year old trees is stressful enough, though fascinating to see the power of those wheeled machines, but to see the changes in landscape and watching the wildlife scamper and stand puzzled takes a stout heart indeed.
We wanted to buy more land around the guest house, but in the process of contacting the land owner, we discovered she was already under contract to have the land timbered. Grace filtered through, remarkably so because the logging company agreed to sell us some of the trees in the places where our property borders close to the timbering. But trees come with a high price tag, however, we were able to buy all the land as timbered, which goes for a less price. Therefore, the "timbered" land we are purchasing in the long run we feel was an equal weight exchange overall.
I have been wanting to share a blog post from Under An English Sky. Shirley, a former homeschooling mother, writes an encouraging and inspiring blog and I for one anticipate her book when it is published. When I first read this particular writing, it was as if she had been reading my heart and mind. I had struggled with what I had been witnessing in our culture, and though I do little social media, what would sometimes pop up on my YouTube feeds from homemaking sites I actually acknowledged as spurious created home living.
Slow Living Today Is an Attitude, Not a Dress Code
A slow, intentional life is still very much achievable in 2025. It’s about your mindset—pausing, choosing what matters, and sometimes saying no to good things to make room for the best ones. ~Shirley
Isn’t Romanticising About Deeper Meaning?
The phrase taps into something universal—a longing to reject superficiality and embrace authenticity, simplicity, and connection—the very depths we feel placed in our hearts by our Creator. That’s beautiful. But chasing it through staged aesthetics? That’s another story.~Shirley
